This One-Family 1952 Chevy Went from Work Truck to Trophy Winner

When Mackey Young’s sister and brother-in-law bought this 1952 Chevy Stepside it was in brand-new condition. They all were in 1952. It wasn’t winning trophies. None of them were. It was providing transportation and handling chores.

When Mackey’s dad, Harold, bought the truck from them two years later, it still wasn’t a classic. Harold owned it for the following 30 years, continuing to put it to work. When Harold died in 1984, the truck went to Mackey. It was banged up and the paint was peeling off—the outward signs of 32 years of hauling wood and hay. Mackey said it looked like it was bound for the junkyard, where most of the other 1952 Chevy pickups had already ended up. Mackey had other ideas. He wanted a show truck.

The first major change Mackey made to the pickup was replacing the factory 216 babbit rod engine with a 235 straight-six. He drove it that way for a while, partially for pleasure and partially as a work truck, until locating a shop to rebuild it according to his goals. The truck spent nine years in that shop, with only a 3-inch chop and a transplanted 1959 Chevy Impala dash to show for it, until Mackey transferred the project to builder Mike Weber in St. Charles, Missouri. Weber promised to get the build moving and carried to completion.

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The stock frame serves as the platform for the renovated Chevy, but the rest of the chassis has been upgraded from front to rear with performance upgrades. Those factory ’rails have been stiffened with boxing plates, which made an immediate noticeable difference. Custom mounts were fabricated to support the battery as well as the air tank and compressor. A Mustang II–style independent frontend suspended by RideTech ShockWaves and dropped spindles from Heidts contribute to the perfect low stance. ShockWave suspension and a RideTech triangulated four-link setup help bring the rear down to the ground. Mechanical Motion in Warrenton, Missouri, helped with installing lines and other chassis assembly tasks.

Weber combined imagination and mechanical chops to bring out the almost art deco elegance of the Advance Design lines. Emblems, trim, and hardware pieces were shaved, side vents filled, and the factory steel hood was smoothed and reshaped to improve the profile. The previously chopped top was complemented with a custom split windshield. The front fenders were sliced 2 inches and the running boards now extend below them. The Briz Bumpers’ ribbed front bumper is reminiscent of a 1937 DeSoto bumper and was ordered from Chevs of the 40’s.

Weber used paint to create some proportional illusions; painting the top half of each grille bar to make them look thinner, and painting the outer portion of the frenched Hagan headlight rings makes them seem deeper. In the back, a Sir Michaels roll pan was customized with flush-mounted Lambert Enterprises LED taillights. The frenched license plate conceals a functional trailer hitch, and the tailgate is an aftermarket piece from LMC Truck. LMC also supplied the pine bedwood, which has been treated with cherry stain and clear. The boards are separated by stainless runners—with a fuel fill neck mounted in the center.

The classy exterior demanded a classy paint color. The choice was black cherry, spiked with the right percentage of pearl. Weber used Axalta paints for the job. To complete the truck’s outward impression, Mackey and Weber agreed on the rolling stock combination, opting for 17×8 Intro Twisted Vista five-spokes front and rear. Nitto NT450 Extreme Performance tires measure 225/50R17 and 275/50R17, providing the right amount of sidewall for a classic truck and the right fat footprint for a performance truck. Wilwood 13-inch disc brakes are used in the front, with drums slowing the rear.

A naturally aspirated 0.030-over Chevy 350 small-block, built by Jeff Odum, replaced the 235 that had been powering the truck. The 650-cfm carburetor, intake manifold, aluminum cylinder heads, and valve covers are all Edelbrock parts. The center of attention has to be the March Performance Revolver billet air cleaner topping it all. Stainless Hooker headers route gases to the custom exhaust system. MagnaFlow mufflers provide a mellow exhaust tone—until Mackey engages the Doug’s electric exhaust cutouts to wake things up. A 700-R4 from Bowler Transmission was assembled at Old Dog Street Rods in Maryland Heights, Missouri. A custom steel driveshaft delivers torque to a limited-slip differential with 3.73:1 gears.

The interior was given full contemporary custom treatment. Dakota Digital gauges were installed in the 1959 Impala grille that had been added way back when. The lower dash was filled with custom vents to blow cool air from the Vintage Air A/C system. The dash is matched by a 1959 Impala steering wheel atop a chrome Flaming River tilt column. Jerry “Stitch” Klich at Top Stitch Interiors in Cottleville, Missouri, took care of the beautiful upholstery, using tan vinyl with maroon accents to cover the Dodge Caravan bucket seats, interior panels, and headliner. The fabricated center console features Vintage Air, RideTech, and power window controls, as well at the floor shifter. A contoured custom panel behind the seats houses the Eclipse audio system, with JBL speakers in the back and console.

Since the truck has been completed, Mackey has driven it to as many shows as possible. It has only been trailered once—to the Street Machine Nationals in DuQuoin, Illinois—where it won the prize for Grand Champion Truck. In between road trips, the Chevy is cruised on the streets of Mackey’s home in Warrenton, Missouri.

Mackey said that driving the truck is one way to remember his father. He said that Harold would probably ask him, “Son, what did you do to my truck?!” He knows his father would also say, “Job well done!”